The culture history at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo can be best understood against the broader context of the cultural sequence in the northern Rio Grande valley, which is the subject of this volume. The volume focuses on two main problems: (1) the extent of the Pueblo’s territory as indicated by the distribution of nearby, contemporaneous communities, and (2) the way the settlement and abandonment of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo relate to the general pattern of northern Rio Grande prehistory. It was assumed that to understand fully the cultural changes at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, it would be necessary to have a fairly detailed knowledge of the regional system of settlement patterning before, during and after the period of the site’s occupation.

This objective was approached through a field survey and research on previously recorded sites in the Arroyo Hondo area. The monograph describes the survey project and presents a stimulating model of the relationship between natural resource distribution and settlement change through time in the northern Rio Grande region. It provides valuable insights that allow the cultural and historical dynamics of the Pueblo to be seen as part of a larger regional system that includes environment, culture, and population.